The Newcomer
by Roundaboutgrl
Summary: 17 year old Ava, Xena’s cousin, distant of course, is on a mission to become a priestess for Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom however, what happens when the Goddess' son lays his eyes on her? Major chaos. XA
1. Chapter 1

Title: The Newcomer

Rating: PG-13ish  
Pairing: Xena/Ares  
Summary: After turning 17, Ava, Xena's cousin (distant of course), is confused about what to do with her life and goes to the Goddess of Warfare and Wisdom for advice. Little does she know that she has caught the eye of a specific god, Athena's son.Not your regular fanfic!  
Status of fic: WIP  
Author's Notes/Disclaimer:Xena, Ares, Gabrielle, andanyone else who sounds in anywayrelated to the Xena and Hercules series,are property of MCA, Universal, and Renaissance Pictures. No copyright infringement was intended in the writing of this fan fiction. Takes place towards the end of the second season and beginning of the third, somewhere in between.

Prologue:

It was amazing how so many things could happen in the matter of just days. It had been around five days since her family had been killed after a raid on her village and six days since she had turned seventeen. It felt like only yesterday her parents and her were discussing what the future might have in store for her. She didn't know what to do and the recent events had left her troubled and even more confused; what was she to do now?

In the few days that had passed since her families' deaths she thought she there was something extremely wrong with her; when she first saw them, lying on the ground dead, she was shocked and frightened, but for some strange reason she didn't cry. After that she tried to continue her life as if nothing had happened; the strange thing about it was that she didn't mourn for her loss, no she just tried her best to get on with her life. But now, five days later, she came to see that nothing would never be the same again; everything came to be seen in a strange new light. Yes, Ava—daughter of Dorian and Judith, distant cousin of Xena the great warrior princess—was extremely puzzled.

She was thinking of going away to become a priestess but wasn't that sure of it. However, she also had the option of going and looking for her distant cousin, Xena. She had overheard many of her parent's conversations about her. They would talk about how her choices hadn't exactly been the greatest in the beginning but then she changed her ways and was trying her best to correct her past errors. Ava would fall asleep listening to her mother's voice and dream about what it would be like to get to actually meet her cousin.

This particular night she was pondering what her next step would be. She couldn't stay where she was forever; it no longer felt like home. She was pondering the thought of becoming a priestess again when she fell asleep—before she had fallen into her deep slumber, she had made up her mind, she would go to the nearest temple contributed to the goddess of warfare and wisdom.

Ava was one step closer to finding her correct path much like what her cousin had done.

Chapter 1:

It had been a long journey but she had made, thanks in part to her horse. Ava had now arrived at the front of Athena's temple--the closet one to her village. She stood there a bit shocked and puzzled; shocked because she had actually made it and puzzled because she didn't know what to do next. Ava hadn't exactly worked out what she was going to say, but she hadn't come such a long, weary way just to turn around and go back empty handed. _Okay, here goes nothing, _she thought.

Ava pushed open the temple door and meekly peered through before completely entering the sacred temple.

"Hello, anyone here?" she timidly asked as she observed the temple. She was so caught up with the decorative temple she didn't notice an old priestess appear.

"What is it you want?" the old priestess asked her while looking over at her attire. Ava had some burgundy and black robes on and to this priestess, they apparently seemed extremely uncomfortable, especially with the hot weather, because she scoffed at her.

"Aren't you hot in those?"

Ava looked at her attire. Okay so maybe these weren't exactly the greatest colors for summer time, but this was one of the last traveling outfits she found when she rummaged through her stuff.

Ava somehow found her voice, but responded timidly. "No."

The woman scoffed at her once more and asked her previous question.

Ava didn't know how to respond; what exactly did she want?

"Hmm…well…" she was scared.

"Well spill it out child!" the priestess angrily responded.

_Okay, it's either now or never_, Ava thought.

"How does one become a priestess for the Goddess of Wisdom and Warfare?" Ava asked humbly.

The old woman looked at her and sneered. "Child, one is chosen so it'd be wiser for you to be on your way home."

Ava looked a bit disappointed now. "Okay…so one is chosen at a young age, but what if I could some how manage to be chosen; could it be done?"

"The chance of that ever happening is about one in a million and it would have to be discussed with the goddess herself. However, she is far too busy to be disturbed." The priestess retorted.

Okay, well I guess I'm getting somewhere now. "And how do I get in contact with the Goddess herself?" she asked.

"A simple answer to such a silly question; an offering. However, the chances of her appearing before you are extremely rare. I have seen many men and women come in day after day with different offerings and some still don't get an appearance by milady. What in the heavens makes you think she'll appear before a mere child?" the priestess scoffed once again.

"Well, if that 's what I must do then I shall do it." Ava stated now with more determination than when she first arrived at the temple.

"You're wasting your time as well as mine child, go home." The priestess retorted and left Ava with her thoughts.

Ava was left alone with the last comment and she wondered if she should give it a try. _I trying never hurt anyone… or that is I think._ Okay, so she would have to look through the items she had packed and look for a proper offering to give to the Goddess. She left trying to figure out what she would offer when she hardly had anything of value.

Athena, Goddess of Wisdom and Warfare, was amused by the determination of this girl she had seen in her projectile mirror.

She was in her sanctuary on Olympus, when she decided to check up on her temples to see if everything was in order. They all seemed to be fine; just then she noticed that an interesting conversation was happening in one of her temples, the one in Spain. In the temple, there was one of her loyal priestess and a young girl, who couldn't have been older than sixteen years old. They seemed to be discussing what seemed to be about offerings and of the sort.

Athena sensed the girl was a bit frightened and yet still had determination. _Samara must have really have got her hopes down and yet I sense strength of mind in this girl._

"Quite the show wasn't it mother?" her thoughts were interrupted by the God of Vengeance, her son Julian. "Why do you think she wants it?"

Athena looked at her son; he was known for being very much like his uncle—the God of War, Ares—which she didn't really appreciate.

"Julian, I'm warning you, stay away from the girl. As to why she wants to become a priestess, that is her reason." Athena stated sternly.

Julian looked at his mother, still smirking." Gods mother, they were two simple-no-harm inquiries."

Athena glared at her son now and he instantly knew he had crossed the line. "No my son, those weren't just two simple questions. You have corrupted too many of my soon-to-be priestesses. I can see that that pathetic excuse of a brother of mine, Ares, has corrupted and filled your mind with dirt."

She didn't hate her brother; she just wasn't truly fond of him. They were always competing about something; it seemed like everything was a competition to them. Although her admiration didn't go to her brother or his warlord, there was one specific former warrior of his she did truly respect and that was Xena; she had overcome most of the things thrown at her.

Athena found it entertaining that Ares was still trying to convince her to return to him. Nevertheless, his constant whining about not being able to win her over at times was tiresome and left Athena with the feeling of strangling her brother on the spot.

She returned her attention to her son.

"Fine mother." Julian complained. Athena didn't like to see him down but he had to learn to respect.

"Julian I do this for your own good. Don't forget what happened the last time you interfered with a woman who wasn't in anyway yours." Athena stated softly.

"That was two hundred years ago mother and I'd appreciate it if you didn't bring the matter up again." He glared at his mother.

Athena stated it with remorse. "I'm sorry my son, I forgot that that is a delicate topic."

Julian looked at his mother. "It's all right. And if it makes you feel better, I'll stop corrupting your soon-to-be priestesses', mother."

Athena smiled at him, "Thank you Julian."

"Yeah sure. Well I've got to go. You know duty calls." And with that he disappeared into a faint blue light.

_At least they were on good terms, for the moment that is._

Okay, i know it sounded a bit weird, okay so a lot weird, with hardly any Xena and Ares in it; but all of that will come in time. Hope you enjoyed! Feedback is always welcomed and appreciated!


	2. Chapter 2

Title: The Newcomer

Rating: PG-13ish  
Pairing: Xena/Ares  
Summary: After turning 17, Ava, Xena's cousin (distant of course), is confused about what to do with her life and goes to the Goddess of Warfare and Wisdom for advice. Little does she know that she has caught the attention of a specific god, Athena's son.  
Status of fic: WIP  
Author's Notes/Disclaimer:Xena, Ares, Gabrielle, and anyone else who sounds familiar to the Xena or Hercules series are property of MCA, Universal, and Renaissance Pictures. No copyright infringement was intended in the writing of this fan fiction. Takes place towards the end of the second season and beginning of the third, somewhere in between, after The Dirty Half Dozen, let's just pretend the episodes after TDHD, never happened, yes that would mean the rest of the seasons never occurred!( No offense to anyone who enjoyed them!)

Chapter 2:

Xena and Gabrielle were tried. The latest warlord, Lucius, had chased them for what seemed like an eternity. It wasn't that they couldn't outtake him and his minions, it was just that they had just finished one of their many travels/adventure which involved Ares and one of his warlords and at the moment, another on their tail was not exactly what they had in mind. They decided that for the night, one of them would keep guard while the other rested and then they would switch. Xena didn't really worry because she had seen that Gabrielle had gotten better with her staff and if something happened, she could easily wake her up. Xena would keep watch first so that Gabrielle could get some sleep and then they would switch.

They set their campsite in the forest somewhere where it wouldn't seem too obvious. Xena warned Gabrielle not to wander off to far, if needed, because it wasn't safe. She started on their dinner while Gabrielle went to do her business. Xena then started to feel a tingle down her spine, the tingle that meant that he—Ares—was there. She ignored it because she didn't want to deal with him at the moment; she was too wiped out to even consider trying to figure out what he was playing at now. Xena then realized he was near her—too close.

Just when she was about to actually say something to him, Gabrielle showed up.

"So Xena, what's there to eat?" Gabrielle asked tiredly and yet with a hint of cheerfulness in her tone.

Xena was snapped out of her thoughts of hurting Ares if he came to her later on that night. "Well, we have trout and trout."

Gabrielle smiled. Apparently Xena was trying to lighten the mood up. "Okay, trout sounds good." They eat their meal in silence because both were too tired to talk about anything at the moment. After they were done eating Xena finally spoke up.

"Ok, you get some rest first and then we'll trade off."

Gabrielle felt bad about getting to rest first; she had noticed that Xena was a bit out of it during their dinner and also uneasy. "Are you sure? I mean if you want to rest first you can and I'll keep guard."

Xena let out a small smile. "You should rest first and I'll keep guard and while I'm at it, I'll have a look around to see if we can use anything to our advantage."

Gabrielle nodded and laid out her cot and soon enough, she was sound asleep. Argo was also resting and so Xena was the only one who was awake. After making sure they were resting comfortably, she went to inspect the territory they were in. She found a few hideouts just in case they ran into any trouble.

Xena was about to go back to the campsite when something caught her eye; it was a small body of water. She was wiped out and felt dirty so she decided to take a bath. _Might as well take advantage of the time I have to myself._

She was taking off her armor and almost in her shift when she felt the same tingle she had felt while making her dinner. _Great, just great. Exactly what I needed at the moment._ It was then she felt his breath on the nape of her neck. "Perverted freak." She muttered and made a move for her sword.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Is that how you greet an old friend my dear?" Ares appeared behind her and grabbed the hand that was reaching for the sword.

Xena could feel him smirking and she had the urge to wipe off his smirk of his cocky face. "Who says you were ever a friend." She stated more than asked and turned to face him. Xena had to resist herself from punching him in the face so that he would stop with the smirking.

"Ouch. That really hurt. How long has it been since we last talked? A few days?" He commented while still holding the smirk in place.

Apparently, she wasn't going to take a bath. Xena started to reach for the clothing she had previously removed when Ares once more grabbed her hands and started to kiss her knuckles. She quickly pulled her hands away from him.

"Can't you go and annoy someone else for a change!" she stated angrily. "Ares you are—"

Before she could continue, he interrupted her. "—charming, handsome, hard to resist, all of the above?"

Xena looked at him for a brief moment and tried to finish what she had started. "No, actually I was thinking more along the lines of arrogant, sadistic, manipulating perverted freak."

Ares looked at her and chuckled. She was apparently still upset about Agathon. "My dearest Xena, let bygones be bygones." He paused for a moment, remembering that she was in a sticky situation with Lucius at the current moment. "I'm willing to help you with your current situation."

"I can deal with it on my own." She responded and reached once more for her clothing, this time actually being able to get it.

""I have no doubt in that, but you won't always be there to protect the bard." He responded as he watched her change back into her outfit.

Xena stopped what she was doing and punched him in the face. "You listen to me you pathetic excuse of a god, any harm done to my friend and I'll go after you."

Bewildered and furious by her words, he pulled Xena aggressively towards him. "God or no god, I'm still a powerful being." With that said he gave her a quick but forceful peck on the lips and disappeared into a faint blue light.

A stunned, half dressed Xena was left wondering why she had let him kiss her. _Perhaps it's because I'm tired and my mind is preoccupied with other things._ She then remembered Ares' warning or more like threat and rushed back to her campsite. _Guess I won't be bathing tonight._

After looking through all of her luggage for what seemed like ever, she had found something that might be worth giving to Athena. At the very moment she was examining the gift that would soon be on Athena's alter, it was a small chest embedded with precious stones and a sun and moon engraved on it, her family crest. It had been in her family for generations, or so she had been told.

She observed it carefully and was having an internal conflict. This artifact was the only thing she had left of what might ever remind her of her family. _If I give it away, I will have nothing to remember my family by. Nevertheless, it is the only chance I've got to being able to become a priestess. _Ava sat by her campsite, looking longingly at the box. After a while of doing this, she fell asleep.

The next morning she woke up and had breakfast still pondering about the thoughts she had fallen asleep the night before. She had hardly touched her food when she decided that if she wanted to get over her doubts she would have to set off for Athena's temple to give her offering. Ava packed the few things she possessed and got on her horse ready to face what ever was to come.

Okay, i tried to make it as much as i could in their character. It's my first Xena fic so it might sound awkard.

**ErisRocks**- Thanksand i'll try to put more info about Athena and her son in the next chapter. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.


	3. Chapter 3

Title: The Newcomer

Rating: PG-13ish  
Pairing: Xena/Ares  
Summary: After turning 17, Ava, Xena's cousin (distant of course), is confused about what to do with her life and goes to the Goddess of Warfare and Wisdom for advice. Little does she know that she has caught the attention of a specific god, Athena's son.  
Status of fic: WIP  
Author's Notes/Disclaimer:Xena, Ares, Gabrielle, and anyone else who sounds familiar to the Xena or Hercules series are property of MCA, Universal, and Renaissance Pictures. No copyright infringement was intended in the writing of this fan fiction. Takes place in towards the end of the second season and beginning of the third, somewhere in between, after the dirty half dozen, let's just pretend the episodes after TDHD, never happened, yes that would mean the rest of the seasons never occurred!

Chapter 3:

The trip to Athena's temple wasn't as long as the first time Ava traveled to it, mainly because she had camped nearby. Once she was in front of the temple, she got off of her horse, cradling the gift close to her chest. Ava took a deep breath before opening the door and entering the sacred temple.

Once inside, she approached the altar with small steady steps. She then put the chest on the altar and spoke what she thought would be appropriate to say.

"Athena, Goddess of Wisdom and Warfare…" just as she was thinking of what to say, she heard the voice of the priestess with whom she had spoken to the day before.

"Child, were you not listening to a word I said yesterday?" the old priestess asked in annoyance.

Ava sighed and turned to face the priestess. "Yes, I heard every single word you spoke …" there was a pregnant pause "but it's better to try than to never have tried at all."

The old priestess' facial features softened and she spoke in a kinder tone. "You have determination child, determination that other gift-bearers lack. What is your name child?"

"Ava" she answered now taken aback with the priestess' change of tone.

The old woman spoke up once more. "Well Ava, what about if we get you freshened up a bit, after all," she smiled and made a gesture towards what she was wearing, "those robes don't look at all to comfortable."

Ava smiled. Just yesterday, she had scoffed and seemed annoyed at her. "Okay, thank you." Just then her stomach growled and she remembered she hadn't really eaten that morning.

"Follow me and I'll get something more comfortable for you to wear and I'll get something for you to eat as well." She led Ava towards a chamber and told her to wait for her there. Ava didn't notice the old woman leave for she was too absorbed with the decorative walls and the room's contents. She placed the chest down on a small table that was nearby and started to look ever more closely at the paintings that were on the walls. She was startled when the priestess returned not long after, with what seemed like white and yellow robes. Another priestess who held a tray of food followed the old woman.

"Here, put these on." The priestess handed her the robes. "Those colors are much more comfortable than the one's you are wearing." She smiled and then turned to leave, but then paused before exiting. "I hope you enjoy the food, rest for a while and I'll be back shortly."

Ava nodded and went back to looking at the robes she had been given and after staring at them for several minutes, she decided to change into them. After she had changed, she went over to the tray of food they had left her and eat.

After what seemed like half an hour of trying to relax, Ava started to pace around the room. A few minutes after pacing the door opened and the old priestess came back followed by the priestess who had brought in the food. She noticed she had been pacing and had a preoccupied expression.

"Sarah, take her robes and have them washed." With that the younger priestess took Ava's robes and left Ava alone with the older priestess. She noticed that Ava continued to pace and cleared her throat.

"Sorry for not introducing myself. I'm Samara."

Ava blushed with embarrassment for she had acted rudely by ignoring the priestess. "It's nice to meet you. So…how long have you been a priestess?"

"Well, I started when I was nine, so let me see, around 56 years."

Ava looked at the priestess amused. "That's a long time. Do you enjoy it?"

The old woman looked at her and answered. "Well, at times it can get lonely but yes, I do enjoy it." She then paused and looked at the chest that was on the nearby table. "Talking about priestesses, tell me Ava, what is it that drove you to this little journey of yours?"

Ava took a deep breath and started to explain what drove her to wanting to become a priestess. She told her about her families' death to being completely confused about her next step in life and questioning her sanity. When she had finished, she noticed that Samara had a concerned look on her face and started to speak again.

"You must be from the village who hardly had any survivors…none to be honest." She paused and then looked at Ava curiously. "How is it that you managed to survive?"

She looked at the priestess and then looked away shamefully. "My mother…she has sent me to pick herbs early that morning, I was angry because she had sent me so early, in the end, it turned out she saved my life."

It was then the priestess understood the girl's actions. "Ava, I don't know what it is you're looking for exactly…but I'm sure that your willpower will get you the answer you need." She glanced at the chest Ava had brought with her and then took a quick glance at Ava and left her alone.

Athena slammed her hall doors open, she didn't care if all of Olympus heard it. Her day was not going all to well. Some thugs had attacked some of her priestesses in Athens and then she had had a run-in with her brother Ares; it wasn't what she had needed at the moment. Once again he had managed to get her extremely aggravated.

_"Your priestesses being molested?" He had asked with a teasing tone. _

_"This isn't a good time Ares." Athena had answered, not wanting to deal with him._

_Ares chuckled. "Hey, it's not my fault that your priestesses can't seem to stay out of trouble. I mean they serve the Goddess of Wisdom and Warfare, one would expect them to have more brains and have some sort of combat skills."_

Now as she walked around her hall, she remembered how that had really made lose her temper.

_"Ares, its times like these that make me wonder why I let my son anywhere near you."_

_He then frowned. "He's twenty-three-hundred-years-old. Besides, who has helped make him into a respectable god?" Which came out more as a statement then question._

_"Respectable!" She barked at him. "He has become as self-centric and egotistical as yourself. It's because of you that he got hurt all those years ago; you filled his mind with nonsense! No surprise why your former warrior princess despises you so, you're like a disease, an infectious disease! Destroys everything that comes in contact with it."_

_Ares was now furious and shouted at his sister. "He's your son, keep him in line! You don't see Aphrodite coming to me and complaining about her son! "_

Perhaps she had overdone it, she thought. Nevertheless, she was frustrated with her brother and wished she could have strangled him on the spot.

Athena walked towards her projectile mirror and checked up on her temple in Spain. She was curious to see if the girl had returned. Sure enough, she had returned. Athena saw the girl walking to the altar with different colored robes this time and saw the girl embrace what seemed like a small box close to her. The girl then began to speak.

"Athena, Goddess of Wisdom and Warfare, I offer you this chest with hope…" and she paused like if not knowing what it was she was hoping for.

Athena couldn't help herself and decided to do some mind probing. What she discovered was amazing; the girl was having thoughts about the chest and family. Apparently, the chest was the last remembrance the girl had of her family. _The child has courage, something a goddess such as myself takes in mind._

She felt bad when she saw the girl still trying to put into words what it was she wanted. After watching her for a few seconds, Athena decided that she was going to pay the girl a visit, it would both of them feel better. It would help her forget her run-in with her brother.

Ava was having difficulty putting into words what it was what she was hoping for. What did she hope for? Sanity? Guidance? Both? Just then a dim golden glow brightened up the room. Ava turned to see where it was coming from and she stared in awe. It was then she realized where the light had come from that she dropped down on her knees.

At that moment, she heard a voice. "I am Athena, Goddess of Wisdom and Warfare, rise child."


	4. Chapter 4

Title: The Newcomer

Rating: PG-13ish  
Pairing: Xena/Ares  
Summary: After turning 17, Ava, Xena's cousin (distant of course), is confused about what to do with her life and goes to the Goddess of Warfare and Wisdom for advice. Little does she know that she has caught the attention of a specific god, Athena's son.  
Status of fic: WIP  
Author's Notes/Disclaimer:Xena, Ares, Gabrielle, and anyone else who sounds familiar to the Xena or Hercules series are property of MCA, Universal, and Renaissance Pictures. No copyright infringement was intended in the writing of this fan fiction. Takes place in towards the end of the second season and beginning of the third, somewhere in between, after the dirty half dozen, let's just pretend the episodes after TDHD, never happened, yes that would mean the rest of the seasons never occurred!

Chapter 4:

Surprised she had been spoken to; Ava rose and slowly raised her head to look at who had spoken. Had she angered the Goddess? Perhaps it was because she had hesitated…or maybe the gift was too small.

"Sometimes the smallest thing that is given is the thing that is most appreciated," the goddess motioned towards the box as she spoke.

Ava was even more stunned than before; so it was true, Gods could read your thoughts. Before she had time to say anything else, Athena spoke again.

"Child, I have heard about your wish of becoming a priestess. Why is it you want to become one?" Athena asked.

Speechless, Ava began to search her mind for words and reminded herself the reason why she was there. _Damn it, I should have put more thought into my answer for that question._

"Well…I feel it may be the only thing that will keep me sane. From what I have heard, when one goes decides to become a priestess/priest one must be willing to become self-less and assist the ones in need…and so I thought that perhaps if I became a priestess, I could be able to focus on being less self-absorbed."

Athena looked at Ava curiously, "Self-absorbed? What makes you believe you are self-absorbed?"

It was then that Ava realized she would have to explain what started her expedition. She took a deep breath and began to speak. "Yes, you see, a few days ago, I turned 17; I was, and still am, confused on what my next step is. It wasn't long after that my family was murdered in a raid on my village; everything I once knew and loved is now gone, and yet I do not mourn. That is what worries me and at times I find myself questioning my sanity or asking myself if it's just plain selfishness."

After she finished her explanation, Ava noticed that the Goddess was in a deep state of mind.

Athena then broke herself from her train of thoughts and decided to continue their conversation. "What is your name child?"

"Ava, daughter on Dorian and Judith."

"Ava, you seem completely lost," Athena paused. "But I sense much determination in you, the determination that will help you accomplish what you wish."

"Thank you," Ava said.

"The offering you have given obviously meant a great deal to you, in view of the fact that it is clearly the only thing you have left that holds some family value. Even though you feel extremely bad for not mourning for your family, it doesn't mean you don't grieve within; I know it must have taken great strength to decide to give it away."

The goddess looked at the Ava understandingly; she herself wasn't one for showing any emotions, but then again she was a god and the girl was a mortal. It was then that she was hit with a brilliant idea.

"Ava, I'm giving you a task, when you complete it, I shall see to it that you become one of my priestesses. As you know, my favorite temple stands in Athens; what I need for you to do is to take your offering and place it on the altar in Athens."

"Okay," Ava's eyes had widened when she heard what her task was.

"Now, I know it may sound like too big of a task, considering we are in Spain, but think of it as your first duty as a priestess. Not only that, I am going to make your trip a shorter one as well; I will transport you to Pannonia, from there you shall start your journey to Athens."

Before Ava could say a word, he goddess clapped her hands and she saw Samara and Sarah, the younger priestess who earlier had taken her robes to be washed.

"You called milady," Samara said as both priestesses bowed.

"Yes, Samara; I need you to gather a comfortable traveling outfit for this girl; she has a long journey ahead of her, and must be in the proper attire," Athena said.

Samara glanced at Ava, wondering what exactly Athena meant with long journey.

"Anything else milady?" Samara asked.

"Actually yes," Athena then turned her attention towards the younger priestess. "Get her horse ready for traveling."

"Yes milady," the young priestess answered. Both priestess bowed and left to start their tasks.

Athena then returned her attention back to Ava. "Ava, I suggest you rest well for you have a long journey ahead of you."

"Thank you," Ava said as she curtsied for respect.

Athena nodded and then disappeared into a golden light.

_What have I gotten myself into_, Ava asked herself.

How very intriguing, Julian thought as he stood in front of his mother's projectile mirror. He had gone to pay his mother a visit as he had heard about the spat both his mother and uncle had gotten into, only to find when he arrived that she wasn't around. He was about to leave when he thought of looking for her through her projectile mirror.

What he saw interested him. He had found his mother all right—as well as the girl that had caught his attention the day before. He eavesdropped on their conversation; he was about to stop, thinking it was completely dull and that the girl was too determined to become a priestess, when he heard her say one particular word, the heard that made the wheels in his head turn and start to devise a devious plan.

_Ha, this is too good to be true; however, it's disturbing how she is most determined to become a priestess instead of thinking about vengeance, but that can easily be arranged, _he thought He then saw his mother in a pensive state and decided to leave her hall for she might have felt his presence there.

As he disappeared into a faint blue light, he decided to pay a visit to a…friend.

Sarah was out in the temple stables getting the girl's horse ready, when she was caught off-guard by a voice she hadn't heard in a while.

"My, my. How long has it been since we last…conversed," she heard him say and knew that the person was smirking.

The young priestess slowly turned to look, wishing and hoping that it wasn't who she thought it was. But sure enough, it was him.

"Lord Julian, to what do I owe this...pleasure?" she asked, making an emphasis on the last word. She had to be sure not to show any sign of uneasiness, although she felt very uneasy. The last time she had seen him; things had gotten a bit out of hand. Sure he had looks that made one's knees go weak, but he just wanted one thing from a thing. He was often compared to his uncle--the God of War—dark and handsome. The only difference was that unlike his uncle, the God of Vengeance didn't have brown eyes and brown hair; he had blue eyes and dark blonde hair, which was much accredited to his father, is from what Sarah had heard. Sarah was then snapped out of her thoughts. She noticed he was looking at the horse she had been getting ready for the girl.

"Please, just Julian. Tell me, were you planning on traveling somewhere?" Julian asked as he took one step towards the priestess.

"Actually no, it's for one of your mother's soon-to-be priestesses," it was then that she realized she had let out confidential information. If she knew one thing it was that soon-to-be priestesses and the God of Vengeance were two things one had to be careful with—very careful.

Hope you guys enjoy. Feedback really appreciated! Thank you!

-Kristal


	5. Chapter 5

Title: The Newcomer

Rating: PG-13ish  
Pairing: Xena/Ares  
Status of fic: WIP  
Author's Notes/Disclaimer:Xena, Ares, Gabrielle, and anyone else who sounds familiar to the Xena or Hercules series are property of MCA, Universal, and Renaissance Pictures. No copyright infringement was intended in the writing of this fan fiction. Takes place in towards the end of the second season and beginning of the third, somewhere in between, after the dirty half dozen, so in other words, the rest is AU.

Chapter 5:

"Soon to be priestess? And who might this soon-to-be-priestess be?" Julian asked, taking one step forward, trying to intimidate the young priestess.

Sarah took one step back, trying to avoid making eye contact with the God in front of her. _Why did I have to open my mouth? Gosh how I wish I had gotten the indoor chores instead of the outside ones. _

"So what might this girl's name be?" He asked.

She didn't know what to say. First of all, she didn't know. Second of all, even if she did know her name, she wouldn't tell him her for she would be in tremendous trouble if Samara ever found out.

"I—," she began but was interrupted by another voice.

"Lord Julian, what a surprise to see you here of all the places," Samara appeared at the entrance of the stables. "Sarah, I suggest you continue with the rest of your chores or else you won't get them all done."

An ill at ease Sarah bowed her head in respect to the God and the older priestess, and left to finish her chores.

Julian looked at the old priestess with annoyance. "You had no right to interrupt my conversation with her."

"Lord Julian, she had work to do and the topic being discussed was confidential," She paused before continuing. "I suggest you leave your mother's priestesses alone before you get yourself into problems with your mother," and that being said, she left a very irritated God in the stables.

Julian was annoyed. Apparently, the girl, whose name at the moment he didn't know, was giving some sort of journey; _She must have given her this little expedition after I left her hall. _Seemingly, his mother had giving her the task, what it was for or all other information, like her name, he had to find out After all, his plan couldn't work if he didn't have other information besides her leaving for a trip; however, since he couldn't get anything else out of the young priestess thanks to the older priestess. _Great, I guess, I'll have to get my information elsewhere._

He then left the stables and made his way back to Olympus.

After her regular workout routine, Xena was exhausted by the late afternoon. Gabrielle was back at the campsite, working on her latest story. The previous night, she had had a run-in with a specific God, whom she wasn't really fond of. She didn't hate him, for hate was too strong of a word to use, she just disliked him quite a lot—well sometimes, that was. He seriously confused her at times. One moment he would be trying to get her all riled up, while the next, he was practically handing over answers in a silver platter.

The events that had happened a few days ago came back to her. Ares had practically handed Agathon over to her—no interfering with their battle or anything. She was indebted for that specific act he made, but sometimes, the things he did just annoyed her. An example would be the preceding night, she was tried of being chased around by one of his newest, pathetic warlords, and he had probably, purposely, gone to annoy her. One of his pathetic warlords… _I was 1000 times better_, she thought, but then quickly dismissed the thought.

_Okay, tonight, I really have to take a soothing bath. My mind is wandering a bit too much, _Xena thought. It was then she also remembered Ares' warning about Gabrielle's safety. She rushed back to their campsite, trying to keep her facial expression calm. She found Gabrielle busy working on her scrolls.

"You sure seem tried," she told Xena.

"Well, that happens when one works out and takes strolls around the forest looking for ways to use the land as an advantage against their opponent, in this case Lucius," Xena answered wearily.

"Lucius…why would Ares send another Warlord after us?" Gabrielle asked herself, but soon realizing she asked it out loud.

Xena pondered on the question herself. Why had Ares sent Lucius after them? She then felt the familiar tingle on the nape of her neck.

"I'm going to go and look for our dinner," Xena paused and remembered what she was longing for. "I might be gone for a while seeing that I haven't taken a bath and I really need one." With that, Xena turned around and starting walking towards the body of water she had spotted the day before.

"You can say that again," Gabrielle muttered under her breath.

"What?" Xena asked turning around.

Gabrielle quickly answered her back. "I said hope you enjoy it," and smiled, just to make Xena believe her.

"Sure," she didn't really care what she had said, she just wanted to go and bathe.

Once Xena was out of sight, she called out for the God.

"Was there something you wanted? Or do you have a tendency of irritating people?" Xena asked, trying to keep her cool.

"Xena, you must know by now that I save my attention just for you," Ares said smirking.

"Why am I not surprised?" She answered back giving him a small smile.

They both stood in silence for a moment until Ares spoke up.

"You know, you always were my favorite warlord. _You were 1000 times better_," Ares said smirking at her.

Xena then looked at him angrily. "You were going through my thoughts again weren't you?" she asked.

"Hey! It was a compliment," he said.

"I've told you before and I'm telling you again I'm now—," she was saying until he interrupted her.

"I know, I know 'fighting for the greater good', " he sneered.

"Ares, why are you here?" She asked tiredly, longing to bathe instead of having the present discussion.

"Like I said, I save my attention for you," Ares said grinning at her.

It then occurred to Xena the question both her and Gabrielle had wondered. "Why did you send Lucius after us?" She asked him.

"Actually, funny you should ask that, I was wondering when the question might pop up," Ares said smirking once again.

Xena gave him a warning smile, knowing perfectly well he had heard her and Gabrielle talking about it earlier.

"Well, like many out there, he has heard of your greatness and asked to be the favored above all the other warlords. Being the God that I am, I gave him an opportunity to prove himself. Apparently, he has taking a liking to you and the bard."

Xena was more alert now than what she had been before. "You mean he's after us because he wants to satisfy his ego? Much like Agathon?" she asked incredulously. Sure she had taken Agathon out easily, but that was because he was moron who didn't have the brains to work out proper strategies and Ares wasn't there to advise him the last time they fought. Lucius on the other hand, seemed to be a much worthier opponent; she could easily take him out, but for some reason, in the few days that had passed, she was too tired to even think about him or his minions. All she had wanted to do was continue her travels on the countryside… and of course her bath.

"Hey, someone has to have a go at it, since you're now for the 'greater good'," he said smirking and left her with those thoughts.

_Finally_, she thought, _I get my bathing time._ And she made her way to the water, trying to ignore the thoughts of her beating the pulp out Lucius.

_It feels like a dream, a strange dream. How I am suppose to make my way from Pannonia to Athens?_ _I have sure gotten myself into something here. I suppose I could see it in a good way; I was looking for guidance and I got it...well, sort of_, Ava thought.

Night had fallen and she now paced around the room she had been given. She would pace around the room for a while and then sit on the small bed, trying to think of the good that had come out of this whole situation. The previous night she had been worried about a gift worthy enough to give; now, she was worrying about the mission she had been giving by the Goddess of Wisdom. _Well, there is a reason why they call her the Goddess of Wisdom._

_Now then, being that this journey will determine my future, I will have to get all the rest needed_, she thought wearily and slipped into a peaceful slumber.

Samara made her rounds around the temple late at night. She checked that everything was in order and then made her way to the room she had left Ava in after the earlier appearance by the Goddess. It wasn't until after the Goddess left she had found out what the _long journey ahead_ was. Ava was to travel from Pannonia to the city of Athens.

She checked on the girl and noticed she was sound asleep. _Well, milady wouldn't have given her the task if she didn't consider her possible of completing it._

She left the room and searched for Sarah; she would have to have a serious talk with the young priestess. Samara knew Sarah wouldn't give any information willing to the devious God of Vengeance; he was known for tricking people into giving him what he wanted. _Much like another conniving God_.

Once she had found the girl, she noticed the young priestess trying to avoid making eye contact. "Sarah, is something wrong?" she asked.

"No, why do you ask?" the younger priestess answered.

"You've been avoiding me since after the run in with Lord Julian," Samara said, and then paused. "I know you wouldn't have told him anything willingly, but I must warn you to be careful if he ever comes back around. You know as well as I do that he has a way with people and priestesses. The last thing we need is for him to go after Ava."

"Ava…oh, so that's the girl's name," Sarah paused before continuing what she was going to say. "Where do you think milady is sending her off to? And I wonder why she's sending her off on a journey?" She asked.

Samara looked at the younger priestess, knowing perfectly well the purpose of the expedition and to where, and let out a tried smile. "I don't know, but I guess, we shall find out soon," she answered and made her way to her room, leaving the younger priestess alone.

"I'll check up in the altar room to make sure everything is fine," Sarah said as she saw Samara fall into a deep sleep.

"I told you it would work. The old woman is too busy with other things in mind that she didn't notice the difference between the foolish priestess and me," Alecto said smiling appearing into the clearing.

Julian gave her a smirk. "Well, I'm sorry for ever doubting your idea. Does that make you feel better? Now, what information do you have for me?" He asked.

Alecto let out a malicious smile. "No, it doesn't make me feel better but I guess it will have to do until I see the results of this scheme you won't tell me about," she paused. "As for your information I got, well, the girl's name is Ava and the rest of the details the old woman doesn't know. Now, I better get back to Megaera and Tisiphone and fill in them in with the small details of your scheme." And then she was gone.

_Well, I presume I'll have to come back tomorrow for the rest of my information_. He had told Alecto about his scheme, well was sort of. He had told her about the girl's loss and how his mother had sent her on some task. And then there was the important part of it all; she had to avenge her family's death. It was that that caught her full attention and she agreed to help him. The rest of it, he had made up; he led her to believe that all he wanted was for her to take her revenge, but in actuality, he wanted much more than that.

"Until tomorrow," he said to no one in particular and disappeared into a faint blue light only to re-emerge on Olympus.

"You know Julian, as a dedicated Uncle, I have the right to know what you're scheming mind is planning," he heard Ares say.

Okay, sorry i haven't updated but i have been having trouble with itandschool work has really had its toll on me. Well hope you guys enjoy! Feedback appreciated :)


	6. Chapter 6

Title: The Newcomer

Rating: PG-13ish  
Pairing: Xena/Ares  
Summary: After turning 17, Ava, Xena's cousin (distant of course), is confused about what to do with her life and goes to the Goddess of Warfare and Wisdom for advice. Little does she know that she has caught the attention of a specific god, Athena's son.  
Status of fic: WIP  
Author's Notes/Disclaimer:Xena, Ares, Gabrielle, and anyone else who sounds familiar to the Xena or Hercules series are property of MCA, Universal, and Renaissance Pictures. No copyright infringement was intended in the writing of this fan fiction. Takes place in towards the end of the second season and beginning of the third, somewhere in between, after The Dirty Half Dozen.

Sorry it took do long to update but i was swamped with things to do. Well, here's the next chapter and hope you guys enjoy it.

Chapter 6:

Lucius paced around his tent. He would give Xena and her little friend sometime before he attacked them. Lucius' quest to become the greatest, fiercest warlord would have to wait for a few days while the warrior princess and her friend waited in anticipation for the attack.

"Sir, the men are ready to attack at dawn," a soldier interrupted Lucius' thoughts.

"We wait for a few more days; Xena is no fool. She probably has the area secured and is ready for our attack. If we wait long enough we might catch her off guard and be able to capture her pathetic friend and well, from there we'll work on it," Lucius said as he let out a malicious grin.

Ares stared at the young God in front of him with a mocking grin and then let a burst of mocking laughter out. He had to hand it to the God of Vengeance; it was a plan, but it could always use improvement.

The way he had found out that the God was up to something was simply because he had noticed Alecto acting a bit strange and he questioned her; Alecto, longing for Ares' attention, ended up telling him. Once he knew that Julian was up to something, he asked Alecto not to tell the rest of the Furies or anyone else, and sure enough she disappeared with joy, feeling proud of her accomplishment of getting a few minutes of the God of War's attention. Ares knew that what Alecto had told him was not exactly the entire plan because that was one thing the God of War had taught his nephew, never to lay out the entire plan out to anyone else. However, after telling the young God that he knew he was planning something and it would do him no good for he would figure it out, Julian told him what it was he wanted and planned.

"You know Julian, if your mother, my dear sister," he said sarcastically. "Were to ever find out what you were planning on doing, _**I**_ would never hear the end of it."

"Well, considering that you have been a huge participant in my upbringing, I could see why and I am still planning on continuing it," the young god replied.

Ares started to walk around the hall and look at the murals on the walls not really paying much notice to them. He was thinking about his nephew's plan.

"If I were you, I'd rethink about telling Alecto anymore of your future plans. She's very eager to please me and will divulge anything to get my attention," Ares said and turned just in time to see Julian's expression turn rather dark.

Julian glared at his uncle. "Actually, I can see that every female—mortal and immortal—seems to give you their attention and want it back…all except one," Julian then let out a smirk.

"Well, thanks to a certain brother of mine, your _beloved_ uncle," Ares added with contempt. "—Hercules—I have had my setbacks. Not to worry, I have a way of getting on with my plots; however, being that this discussion has to do with you, I'll get to my point: you are going to have to drop this plan of yours," Ares said getting back on the reason as why he was there in the first place.

"What do you propose I do then? Let her go on without avenging her family's death? She went to my mother for a pep talk not to pledge herself as a new attendant. " Julian said getting infuriated with his uncle's interference of his mastermind scheme. He then got up from where he had been sitting and started on with his justification to continue his plot, "News flash: I'm the God of Vengeance."

Ares smirked at his nephew and said, "Calm down now. This girl went to your mother for advice, which would be the very reason why she would be upset if she found out what you plan to do. I don't think you'd like to get on your mother's bad side would you? That's all I'm trying to say; think about it."

With that Ares turned to leave; he thought it better to leave Julian with his current thoughts. However, little did the God of War know that his nephew was not about to let this opportunity pass him by. The younger god had heard from a certain family member—Discord to be exact—that Ares had a current Warlord, Lucius, who was during some serious damage to villages and according to Discord, this warlord was on a mission to get rid of Ares' precious Warrior Princess to take the place of the "greatest and fiercest" warrior.

"There are many ways that this certain vengeance scheme can benefit…both of us," Julian spoke before Ares had disappeared completely. He then saw his uncle begin to turn and it was then that Julian knew he had caught his attention; Julian smirked.

"Oh, this ought to be good; please enlighten me," Ares said with a hint of mockery and turned to face the younger god. He knew his nephew was now up to something and wondered why exactly he had even thought that this certain god should be trusted to leave matters alone, after all he was much like himself.

"The way I see it, we both want something. You: your warrior princess back while on the other hand I want this young mortal girl to take her vengeance," Julian paused and smirked before he continued, knowing he was getting to the infamous God of War. "Now, I know you might be wondering why exactly I even care about this. Well first off, I had a perfect plan for the young mortal and as the God of Vengeance it would make sense for me to take pride in what I do and second, well when I put my mind to something...well you know it's very difficult for me to let go of the idea."

Ares was quite frustrated with his nephew now, "Yeah, but what does any of this have to do with Xena?"

Julian smirked once more and began to inform the God of War of the new plan that had formed in his head.

After taking a bath, Xena went back to her campsite with a rabbit she had caught for her and Gabrielle's dinner. She found Gabrielle writing in another of her scrolls. When she saw her friend coming back from her trip to the stream, she looked up.

"So, I guess we're having rabbit tonight," Gabrielle said merrily.

"Yeah, thought you might be tired of eating trout so often," Xena said as she started to cook the rabbit. "I see you went to pick wood for us."

"Yeah, I thought that I might as well do something to help around since you seem so tired."

"Thanks. So what are you writing about this time?" Xena asked.

Gabrielle looked down at her scrolls, "Well, at the time I'm not so sure what exactly to write about. Maybe I should write about how we're stuck here and from there I'll figure something else."

"I have been thinking of a plan to try to get us out of this forest without being caught by Lucius and his men; however, I 'm still thinking of other options," Xena said without lifting her eyes from the rabbit that was cooking.

"I think there's a reason for his army waiting and not attacking at an instant."

Xena finally looked up, "I'm thinking the same thing."

"Same shift as yesterday night?" Gabrielle asked but noticed that her friend looked very exhausted. "You know what, maybe you should sleep first and then I'll wake you," Gabrielle said smiling.

"Alright." Xena went to lie on her bedroll and before Gabrielle knew it, Xena had fallen sound asleep.

Gabrielle glanced at the sleeping form of her friend and then looked up at the sky wondering why they were even in this situation.

Miles far away from Greece, in a temple that belonged to Athena, which had been built by a few Greek followers that had migrated to Hispania, lay a girl sleeping in a slumber of dreams that consisted with the task she had been asked to perform by the Goddess of Wisdom and Warfare. Little did she know that the task she had been asked to perform would not turn out the way she kept imagining it to be.

Well, hope you enjoyed it and hopefully, i'll be able to update soon. Sorry if it was out of character and weird; it has been a while since i last wrote. Feedback really appreciated.


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